Guest Dream: Zwaagstra Route, Turkey

This is a momentous occasion: Dream Big, Live Large has its first ever contribution from a Guest Dreamer! Nick Zwaagstra (please view his profile, and take the time to visit his website), a certified Art Therapist living in Halfax, Nova Scotia, Canada, took a trip to Turkey in 2009 which had a profound effect on him. He was gracious enough to take the time to share his experience with all the readers of DBBL, and I thank him for that. I have dubbed the route he took “the Zwaagstra Route.” I’m excited to hear from the first Dreamer and any other Dreamers who attempt to retrace Nick’s path and write a comment about it.

A collection of fruits and spices and all sorts of colourful delacacies at one of Turkey’s famed spice bazaars.

Nick and his partner John started their journey in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey. After staying in Istanbul for four nights at the Sebnem Hotel, they rented a car and drove north of the Marmara Sea to Eceabat, on the Gelibolu Penninsula, and crossed over by ferry to Canakkale.

Guest Dreamer, Nick (right), with his partner, John, waiting for the sunset with some local beer and snacks at a cafe in Canakkale.

In Canakkale they stayed one night at the beautiful and historic Kervansaray Hotel. The next morning they left to tour Troy, the setting for the Trojan War immortalized in Homer’s Iliad, and then on to Ayvalik for six nights at the Kelebek Pension. From here John and Nick returned to Istanbul for two more nights, before going home.

The famed Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

For Zwaagstra, highlights of the trip include all of the historic locations in Istanbul like the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, and many others, as well as the city of Ayvalic, with its picturesque views, multitude of islands, and superb olive oil. However, he was the most taken with the city of Troy, and especially so with its excavation of nine separate and distinct periods of settlement dating back to 3000 BC.

When in Turkey, make sure you take the time to step back in time with the Zwaagstra Route.